Animal lovers in the West have often pointed the finger at the Muslim practice of slaughtering animals, especially on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
The French actress Bridget Bardot had made a number of disparaging remarks about Muslims in France for which she was fined in court. It is considered to be cruelty to animals.
The Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has attempted to prohibit Muslims from slaughtering animals in many locations in the West.
The Western method of slaughtering involves rendering the animals unconscious prior to cutting off their heads. Smaller animals like chickens are stunned by electrocution while larger animals are stunned with a stun gun.
The stun gun contains a piston which strikes the skull of the animal and knocks it unconscious. Anyone who has ever received an electric shock will confirm that it is not a pleasant experience at all. A jolt sufficient to render an animal unconscious will be quite painful.
Whacking someone in the head with an iron bar is, without a doubt, an extremely painful experience. Both of these methods are in no way humane. They cause the animals to suffer incalculable pain and are, in fact, geared to facilitate production line slaughter of large numbers of animals.
The Prophet (r) said:
“…Whenever you slaughter, make the knife sharp and relieve the animal.”
Only the jugular veins and the esophagus are cut allowing the animal’s heart to pump out most of the blood. The lack of blood to the brain causes the animal to eventually fall into unconsciousness and die gradually.
The preferred method of suicide among many Westerners is to cut one’s wrists with a sharp knife or razor-blade as it is relatively painless.
As for the argument of vegetarians that humans were not meant to eat meat, it is scientifically false.
Humans are neither herbivores who do not have the necessary enzymes to digest meat, nor are they carnivores who do not possess the enzymes to digest vegetable matter. They are omnivores, capable of processing both vegetable and meat.
The real force behind vegetarianism is the Hindu belief in karma which leads Hindus to believe that the goat you eat may be your reincarnated relative.
The animals were submitted to humans for benefit. If their skins and fur provide humans with warmth in winters, they may kill them for it. However, the method of slaughter should be humane.
Currently, the animals are killed by clubbing them to death which would be haram (prohibited) according to Islamic law.